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Missing boy scout from North Carolina found alive At 11:00 a.m. [EST] the missing boy scout from North Carolina was found alive. Italian journalist freed by Afghan captors Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo and his interpretor was released by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan, hours ago, after being kidnapped and held hostage since March 5.

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North Korea boycotts talks on nuclear program According to Japan's chief envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, North Korea will not take part in 6-party talks regarding their nuclear program until the United States releases 25 million USD to the N. Korean government.

Wikipedia Current Events
Up to 65 people die as a truck overturns on a bridge near Gueckedou, Guinea. United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence Des Browne orders the military to destroy cluster bombs that lack self-destruct mechanisms in order to avoid harming civilians. U.S. attorney dismissal controversy: The Bush administration agrees to allow Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers to testify but not under oath. France signs an extradition treaty with the People's Republic of China but will only extradite people in death penalty cases when China agrees that the person will not receive a death penalty. Scientists discover a microscopic creature that has survived over 100 million years without mating. European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana says that the EU is doing all it can to find Alan Johnston, the BBC Gaza correspondent who has been missing for 8 days. At least 63 people die in a fire in a home for elderly and disabled people in a village in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. Taha Yassin Ramadan, former Baathist Vice President of Iraq and the Ten of Diamonds in the most-wanted Iraqi playing cards, is hanged in Baghdad for his role in the Dujail killings. The wife of Sami al-Arian, a former university professor convicted by a United States district court of funneling money to Islamic Jihad, fears for his life as his hunger strike to protest his imprisonment enters its 58th day.

2007 Cricket World Cup: New Zealand vs Kenya
New Zealand beat Kenya by 148 runs in Group C of the World Cup at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.

This victory qualifies New Zealand for the Super 8 phase.

Kenya won the toss and elected to field first.

Bloc Québécois support Canadian budget, Liberals, NDP oppose
The Bloc Québécois backed Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget yesterday, which means that there will be no federal election yet.

"Having said that, there's money on the table [for Quebec]," Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said, "so we'll take that money."

However, the opposition Liberals and NDP did not back the budget. NDP Leader Jack Layton said the budget is giving more money to companies and less to ordinary Canadians. The budget also has been criticized by some finance critics.

"He should have had a strategy," Liberal Leader and former Environment Minister under Jean Chrétien, Stéphane Dion, said today. "He should have explained how his budget would make us more competitive, how it would be fairer for those in need, how it would enhance the environment."

"For every step forward, there seems to be two steps back," said Layton. "We could have supported child care or environment and given less to the big board rooms of Bay Street."

Elections have to happen five years or less after a government is elected. The last election of 2005 was held during Winter.

2007 Cricket World Cup: South Africa vs Scotland
South Africa beat Scotland by 7 wickets (with 160 balls remaining) in Group A of the World Cup at the Warner Park Stadium, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Scotland captain Craig Wright missed this match as he had flown home to attend his aunt's funeral; Ryan Watson deputised as captain in his absence.

This victory meant both South Africa and Australia qualified for the Super 8 phase.

South Africa won the toss and elected to field first.

North Korea boycotts talks on nuclear program
According to Japan's chief envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, North Korea will not take part in 6-party talks regarding their nuclear program until the United States releases US$25 million of North Korean funds frozen by the U.S. government in a Macau bank.

A meeting, scheduled to take place today between the 6 nations involved in the talks, was cancelled as North Korea did not receive the money.

"There was no progress at all today. China as chairman (of the talks) urged North Korea to come to the table but they would not come. According to China, North Korea said they will not come to join further discussions until they confirm that their money got into their bank account in China," said Sasae.

According to the US, however, the issue of frozen funds from the Macau lender Banco Delta was "resolved." The money can be "used solely for the betterment of the North Korean people," said Daniel Glaser, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Treasury.

"[The funds will be released] in accordance with the instructions of the account holders," said a statement by The Monetary Authority of Macau.

The nations participating in the talks to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program are the United States, Japan, Russia, South Korea and host, China, as well as North Korea itself.

North Korea agreed on February 13 to dismantle their nuclear program by April 14, 2007.

Yahoo releases mobile phone search engine
On Monday the second largest Internet search engine Yahoo introduced its new service called oneSearch. The service represents a search system that delivers locally relevant answers for mobile phone users.

The company will first launch its service in the United States and then make it international. OneSearch is to push aside Yahoo's main competitor Google in the field of mobile Web search.

Marco Boerries, who works as a senior vice president of Yahoo's Connected Life business unit, said that the company is now working on putting search on every phone that includes a browser.

OneSearch provides several services including: news headlines, images from Yahoo's Flickr photos site, business listings, local weather and links to other Web sites.

Yahoo's officials said that the company has already begun offering OneSearch on 85% of existing mobile phones that include Web browsers.

The search results are delivered on a single page and are set in categories. The results are prioritized according to the calculation that Yahoo computers make about a specific information that the customer is trying to make.

The company signed deals with several major mobile phone manufacturers, including: Samsung Electronics Inc., Nokia, Motorola Inc. and LG Electronics Inc.

Yahoo also promised to help advertisers gain phone customers. Because users make their searches on their phones, they can directly reach the advertiser by clicking on a link.

Yahoo's new service, oneSearch runs sponsored ad which is being linked to Web search results and display advertisements. OneSearch may also run mini-banner ads developed for mobile phone screens.

It might take some time before Yahoo could actually see positive financial results of its product. Nevertheless its developers are quite happy with the result of their work.

Missing boy scout from North Carolina found alive
Michael Auberry, the Boy Scout from Greensboro, North Carolina who went missing on Saturday was found alive by rescuers at 11:00 a.m. EST.

"We have our missing Boy Scout," said Tina White of the United States National Park Service.

"Search and rescuers who located him have their hands on him. He is in the care of search and rescue workers. Probably the most important thing we heard on the radio is A-1, which means he is in good condition," added White.

The 12 year-old boy was dehydrated but unharmed. He went missing when he walked away from the campsite, during lunch time, where his scout troop was staying in the mountains of N. Carolina. He wanted to sleep in Saturday morning and stayed behind at the campsite with an adult scout leader.

"He was in good spirits [when he disappeared.] He ate lunch, chatting with the boys. He was walking around with I think some Pringles and a mess kit. The next moment, sounds like a blink of the eye, he was gone," said the boy's father, Kent Auberry.

Members of the boy's church were praying for his safe return when the news broke that he was found alive.

"This shows that when everybody works together, good things happen. We just believed that he was going to be found," said Susan Norman Vickers, the associate minister of the Christ United Methodist Church.

The boy had been missing for over 4 days. Some 70 people with heat detecting equipment and a plane helped in the search.

Italian journalist freed by Afghan captors
Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo was released by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan, Monday, after having been kidnapped and held hostage since March 5, 2007. Mastrogiacomo's intrepreter is believed to have been released as well, though no details are reported.

Mastrogiacomo, a reporter with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, was taken captive in Helmand Province along with his Afghan interpreter and his driver, while attempting to obtain interviews with members of the Taliban.

In a television interview after his release, Mastrogiacomo expressed his gratitude to those that worked for his release. "I'm very happy, I thank you all. I knew you wouldn't abandon me", said Mastrogiacomo.

He also described some horrors that he witnessed while in captivity. Syed Agha had been killed in front of him by their captors. "I saw him being decapitated, it was horrific", Mastrogiacomo recalled.

The driver, Syed Agha was reportedly decapitated by his captors for "spying" in the presence of Mastrogiacomo. Agha's family blockaded the hospital in Lashkar Gah where Mastrogiacomo was being treated, demanding to know what happened to Agha. For reasons still unclear, security forces arrested the head of that hospital, Rahamatullah Hanafi.

Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah told Reuters that the release of Mastrogiacomo and his interpreter was secured through the exchange of five senior Taliban members.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi suggested it was not a simple task to secure Mastrogiacomo's release, which was obtained with the help of Italian authorities, humanitarian officials and the Afghan government.

According to Italian officials, Mastrogiacomo is to travel to Kabul on Tuesday and then secure a flight to Italy.

Today in History
1556 - Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer was burnt at the stake in Oxford, England.

1800 - Pius VII was crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.

1804 - Code Napoléon was adopted as French civil law.

1933 - The construction of the first Nazi German concentration camp at Dachau was completed.

1990 - Formerly known as South-West Africa, Namibia gained independence from South Africa, with Sam Nujoma swearing in as the first President.

March 21 is March Equinox and Chunfen (00:07 UTC, 2007); International Earth Day, Norouz in Iran and various Central Asian countries and in Zoroastrianism (2007); Naw-Rúz in the Bahá'í calendar, Benito Juárez Day in Mexico, World Poetry Day.

Quote of the Day

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring

The Winter Garment of Repentance fling

The Bird of Time has but a little way

To fly — and Lo! The Bird is on the Wing.

~ Omar Khayyám ~

Word of the Day

supercilious; adj

Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.

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